People will let you down

Time & time again,

But moving on is the only medicine that heals

Will didn't grab a lunch tray; he immediately sat at his usual spot in the cafeteria and pulled out his notebook. His head was spinning as he wrote and scribbled, wrote and scribbled, wrote and scribbled some more. He couldn't fathom presenting any of the things he wrote in front of the jocks and the preps and the witty; it made him feel too exposed. He didn't want to show the pieces of himself that no one knew existed. There was a reason they hadn't ever seen that side of him—to keep Will from getting slammed against a locker for being a "sissy."

James, Forrest and Edward filed into their usual seats, treading lightly around the artist at work. None of them were brave enough to be the first to speak to Will, and, considering his current state, it made sense.

"Ahem..." James took a large bite of his burger, chewing thoughtfully (and loudly). "So... are y'all coming to the game on Friday?"

"Nah, dad and I are sighting in our rifles on Friday." Forrest replied as he dipped a depressingly wobbly french fry in ketchup.

"What about you, hacker?" James pointed at Eddie from across the table. Eddie grimaced at the nickname usage.

"Not a chance," Eddie shook his head. "I'll be hacking into the mainframe that night, anyhow. I'm swamped." He rolled his eyes, but no one noticed.

"Hey, twinkle toes," James tapped Will on the shoulder, but Will didn't even budge. "Hello?"

Will looked up from his writing frenzy, turning to James. "I'm sorry, are you talking to me?"

James took a swig of his milk. "I mean... who else would I call that?"

Will pressed his lips together, trying to remain calm. "First of all, never interrupt a poet when he's in the middle of a stanza," Will clicked his pen a few times. "And secondly, your little nicknames have kinda gotten under my skin lately."

James laughed awkwardly, tugging at the edges of his letterman jacket. "No, dude, I'm just messin' around. These guys understand."

James didn't get any backup from Forrest or Edward, who were both conveniently looking in different directions.

"Look, James, I know you can be a good guy sometimes. We all have our bad moments, but... you sure do seem to have a lot of them." Will cleared his throat.

"Um... I don't get what you mean." James raised a brow.

"That's alright." Will took a deep breath in. He wanted so badly to take out all his anger on James at that moment, but he knew that would most likely result in some kind of convoluted argument that led to a nonsense fistfight—and Will knew that his strength lied in his pen, not his forearms. "I'm not gonna start an argument with you, because I still consider you a friend, even if you don't always treat me like one." Will shifted in his seat. "I just have to ask you one question."

James already looked disappointed in himself. "What's that?" He asked, barely glancing at Will as he spoke.

Will sighed. "Did you or did you not read the contents of my notebook?" He asked as he held up the leather-bound book.

James swallowed hard, but remained silent through it all. He began to stammer, but Will held up a hand to silence him.

"Save it. That's all I needed to know." Will nodded. He displayed a gentle smile to his counterparts. "Gentlemen, I shall take my leave. I don't think my services are required here any longer."

So Will stood up and left the table, leaving all the boys stunned to silence.

After a few moments, Forrest raised a brow in James's direction. "Why'd you read his notebook, ya knucklehead?"

James's face got hot as he stared daggers at his tray. "I-I don't know, I saw that it fell, and... ugh, I knew that it was wrong, but..." He sighed.

Edward shook his head. "You shouldn't have. You know how Will doesn't like to share his work."

James looked up at Eddie, briefly studying his face. "You know, despite all that... his poems were kinda amazing."

~ * ~

Will wrote more poems in one day than he'd ever written before—except none of them were to present, they were simply a sad attempt to heal his open wounds, nothing more. So many things seemed to be going wrong all at once that he could barely even focus on being creative just for the fun of it. He certainly wasn't going to present a poem about his parents' failing marriage or slandering a friend who'd betrayed his trust.

Will made it to his car before Alice, and he was slightly grateful for that fact just so he could have some time to decompress and think his own thoughts. He wanted to remain as strong as he could in front of Alice; he knew how quickly her emotions could take possession of her.

Will started his car and turned on the Epilogue from the La La Land soundtrack. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel every emotion he'd bottled up throughout the entire school day. He pretended that his steering wheel was a piano, acting as if he was playing the keys himself.

Right as the song ended, as if on cue, Alice hopped in the car. She looked at Will, who was slightly teary-eyed, yet his face simultaneously spoke volumes of contentment. He slowly looked up at her.

"Are you ok?" Alice asked.

Will smiled, casually swiping his almost-tears away. "Never better," he replied as he buckled his seatbelt and shifted to drive. "Ready for your surprise?"

Alice raised a brow. "Surprise? What surprise?"

Will smirked just like he used to when they were kids. "You'll see."

Will pulled into a parking spot on the street next to Ivy Cafe.

"Don't get up," Will instructed Alice, who was about to unbuckle her seatbelt.

Alice raised a brow as Will exited the car. "...okay?"

After about fifteen minutes, Will came back outside, carrying two drinks in his hands. He quickly slid back into the car and closed his door, looking at both drinks.

"Alright, I have an iced caramel latte for... Elise?" He said in his best barista imitation.

Alice laughed, deciding to play along. "Ahem, that's Alice to you." She replied, snatching the drink from his hands.

"My mistake, honey, won't happen again." Will smiled cheesily. "And this one seems to be- oh my goodness, for me?  Oh, what a treat!" He exclaimed. "A chai latte, too? Someone knows me a little too well."

Alice gently pushed against Will as she took a sip of her iced coffee. "You're such a weirdo."

Will smiled. "Better hold your tongue, Buttons. This surprise is a two-parter." He replied with a wink.

Will pulled into a parking spot close to Redding's Bookstore and turned off his car.

"You're ridiculous," Alice marveled. "Why are you doing all this? For big brother points?"

Will shrugged. "Just to show you I care."

"Ew, barf." Alice replied, rolling her eyes playfully, but her smile told Will everything he needed to know.

Alice excitedly raced toward the entrance of Redding's. Will followed close behind her, keeping his wallet at the ready.

Alice practically ran to the young adult section, leaving Will to his own devices, which did not shock him in the slightest.

The bookish grandeur swept over Will as he looked around. Every time he walked into that store, it was as if he was seeing it for the first time—the magic and wonder never faded away. Each colorful spine beckoned his name, but Will resisted their temptation as he walked towards the classics section.

Will scanned the shelf, silently hoping that it would still be there. To his delight, it was. It stood against the shelf in its shimmery pink and gold splendor, which stood out from the other jewel-tone book bindings. Will snatched up a copy immediately and gazed at the cover for a brief moment. His mind was instantly transported back to that first moment he had ever laid eyes on the effortlessly beautiful Indie; her blonde hair long and loose, her brown eyes that enchanted with a single glance, her petite frame, her sun kissed skin. What a fool Will had been when they first met... and what a fool he remained.

After successfully securing a copy of Little Women, Will aimlessly walked around the rest of the store, his spirits lifting. He wasn't sure how anything was going to go, but in the back of his mind was a sweet feeling of hope, whispering to him, "everything's gonna be alright." He wasn't sure how to believe it, but he hung onto those words as if his life depended on it.

Will found himself wandering into the "oddities" section of the store, where they sold little trinkets and knick-knacks and things that weren't books. Will glanced at each keychain and pair of friendship bracelets, taking the first sip of his chai latte after ensuring it was cool enough to drink. As his eyes examined the oddities, he happened to notice a silver necklace with a shiny Saturn pendant dangling from it.

Will surveyed the piece of jewelry, his insides bubbling with excitement. He was again flooded with memories of stargazing, dancing alone in the movie theater during the planetarium scene of La La Land, and talking about each other's favorite planets.

Will smiled as he grabbed the necklace off of the display and held it carefully in his hand. He knew that Indie was going to adore his purchases.

As Will turned around, he was startled to find Alice standing right behind him with a slightly smaller pile of books than she'd gotten the last time they'd been at the bookstore. She smiled from ear to ear as Will let out an exasperated sigh.

"Take 'em to the checkout counter," Will shook his head.

"Yay!" Alice exclaimed. She waddled uncomfortably toward the cash register. Will watched as she walked away, shaking his head.

"I don't know how they even have a YA section left," he chuckled to himself. He looked down at the items in his hands, smiled, and walked toward the register himself, feeling rather content, despite his circumstances attempting to convince him otherwise.